Author: Virabian Jhanna

PETER SEMNEBY: EU INTENDS TO BE INVOLVED IN THE KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION

armradio.am
20.07.2007 16:46

"The European Union intends to be involved in the process of resolution
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict by helping establish mutual confidence
between the parties to the conflict," Special Representative of
European Union for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby said during
the joint press conference with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov.

He mentioned that peaceful solution the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is
one of the ten priorities in the Action Plan between the European
Union and Azerbaijan. The diplomat said that all opportunities for
establishing mutual confidence are being reviewed.

The EU Special Representative said during the meeting with Elmar
Mammadyarov in Baku, they discussed questions related to the
implementation of the Action Plan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict
resolution, regional issues, especially energy related issues.

Peter Semneby regarded recent joint visits of Azeri and Armenian
intellectuals to Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan as promising
steps.

"This is a significant step. I hope that they will continue," he said.

HENCEFORTH, ONE CAN GET ACQUAINTED WITH ACTIVITIES OF RA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE ON NEW INTERNET SITE

Noyan Tapan
Jul 19 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Henceforth, any information concerning
the activities of the RA MInistry of Education and Science can be found
on the official internet site of the Ministry: ";. According
to the statement made by Lilit Galstian, the Spokeswoman of the RA
Ministry of Education and Science, at the July 18 press conference,
this internet site will provide an opportunity to receive universal
information not only concerning general education, higher education,
science, and other educational spheres, it is also replenished with
a separate section of accounts, where the total picture of the 2006
activities of the Ministry is presented.

According to Lilit Galstian, a separate "Entrant – 2007" section has
been developed in order to receive information about HE Institution’s
entrance examinations. The entrance rules according to Higher
Education Institutions and professions, the lists of places without
time off from one’s studies, as well as paid and free places, sizes
of tuition fees, and the points, which were necessary in order to
enter a Higher Education Institution last year, are introduced in
details in this section.

In parallel with entrance exams, information concerning examination
results will be located on this site. In addition to the sections
concerning the Ministry, legislation, and educational spheres,
there are also sections for proclamations, messages, and maps of
the site on the main page of the internet site. The latest important
news will also be located on the principle page, besides the section
for information, and one can become acquainted with news concerning
educational programs and competitions with the Diaspora in the section
concerning international relations.

This site gives an opportunity to the subscribers to provide a
retrospective tie with the Ministry: there are brief answers to
questions which often trouble society. The site is likely to be
replenished with new sections in the near future.

KARABAKH VOTE TO CEMENT REBEL REGION’S INDEPENDENCE
By Hasmik Lazarian

Reuters AlertNet, UK
July 19 2007

STEPANAKERT, Azerbaijan, July 19 (Reuters) – Breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh
elects a new leader on Thursday in a vote set to stress the separatist
region’s self-proclaimed independence from Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Armenia — both Soviet republics at the time —
began fighting in the late 1980s over the mountainous, predominantly
Armenian-populated territory within Azerbaijan.

Karabakh seceded from Azerbaijan and proclaimed an independence that
the rest of the world has not accepted.

Many of the Azeri minority fled during the fighting which claimed
more than 35,000 lives before a ceasefire was brokered in 1994,
and the region is now populated almost entirely by ethnic Armenians,
who enjoy Armenia’s backing.

No international organisations will monitor the vote, in which five
hopefuls are running for "president" to replace Karabakh’s current
leader, Arkady Gukasyan, who is due to step down after holding the
post for two five-year terms.

Bako Saakyan, a 46-year-old former head of Karabakh’s security service
who is openly supported by the incumbent, is the favourite.

His main rival is the region’s "deputy foreign minister" Masis Mailyan,
aged 39.

"The authorities have declared their support for Saakyan. This means
it is namely him who will become the next president," said a taxi
driver in the Karabakh capital, Stepanakert.

Both leading contenders are adamant on the main issue — full
independence for Karabakh.

Saakyan says he wants to make the sliver of land and its 140,000 people
"an example of democratic rule" to persuade the international community
to recognise Karabakh’s independence.

"Creating civil society is the way towards resolving the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue," he has said during his campaign.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has been
trying to broker a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia since
the 1994 ceasefire.

Mailyan said he hopes that eventual international recognition
of Serbia’s rebel province of Kosovo, populated mainly by ethnic
Albanians, will create an important precedent leading to officially
accepted independence for Karabakh.

"The Kosovo precedent, if it occurs and if international recognition
finally takes place, is of interest to me because an unrecognised
state will thus become recognised, irrespective of what its mother
country has to say," Mailyan told Reuters.

"This means we have a chance to become independent — according to
a new scenario."

At least 25 percent of the enclave’s 91,000 voters have to take part
for the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (3 a.m. to 1500 GMT) election to be valid.

A candidate scoring more than 50 percent of the votes cast in the
first round wins outright.

SAAKASHVILI: STATE SHOULD HELP ETHNIC MINORITIES IN EDUCATION

Daily Georgian Times, Georgia
Civil Georgia
July 18 2007

Poor command of the Georgian language should not become "an insuperable
barrier" for ethnic minorities to enroll in Georgia’s universities,
President Saakashvili said on July 18.

Speaking at a government session Saakashvili said a special state
program envisages bringing hundred ethnic Armenians and hundred
ethnic Azerbaijanis from Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions,
respectively, at preparatory courses, which will help them to then
enroll in the universities.

He said it was not a fault of ethnic minorities that they do not
speak Georgian well.

"This is because of the fact that we [the authorities] were not
well-organized… I want to emphasize that the minorities urge us to
teach them the Georgian language," Saakashvili said.

Alluding to the fact that most of ethnic minority youth prefer to
enroll in universities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, or Russia, Saakashvili
said it was very important to create conditions wherein "our citizens
acquire knowledge not abroad, but in the capital and other cities
of Georgia.

In its report last year, the Brussels-based think-tank International
Crisis Group outlined the inability to speak the state language as
"the minorities’ biggest problem."

AGENDA OF EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE’S VISIT TO AZERBAIJAN PUBLICIZED

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
July 18 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend A.Badalova, K.Ramazanova / Peter Semneby,
the European Union (EU) Special Representative on South Caucasus,
will pay a visit to Baku on 18 July to discuss the development of
cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan, the Brussels-based office
of the EU Special Representative informed Trend.

During the two-day stay in Baku Semneby plans to hold consultations
with officials, as well as representatives of civil society. The
discussions will centre on the current state of relations between
the EU and Azerbaijan, as well as an exchange of opinions on ways of
strengthening them.

Meanwhile, Alan Vaddams, representative of the European Commission in
Azerbaijan, said in talks with journalists on 17 July, that during the
visit Semneby will hold talks with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
on a peaceful resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

During his last visit to Azerbaijan in December 2006 Semneby
discussed the successful cooperation between the sides within the
framework of the EU’s European Neighbourhood Program, partnership
in delivery of Azerbaijani energy resources to Europe, regional
cooperation in South Caucasus and resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. Moreover, the implementation of huge regional projects,
including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil export pipeline, provision of
human rights and freedom of media, democratic reforms, improvement
of election legislation and other issues were also in focus.

KARABAKH DOES NOT WORRY HAIRIKYAN

Lragir, Armenia
July 16 2007

According to Paruir Hairikyan, the strange thing regarding the
Karabakh election is that both the opposition and pro-government
parties endorsed one candidate. This candidate is the former head of
the NKR National Security Service Bako Sahakyan. The rest is O.K. and
does not worry Paruir Hairikyan. "I followed the election campaign,
it has disadvantages but also advantages because I know they are not
giving out money. It is important that all the candidates, the two
main candidates are convinced that much depends on their appropriate
behavior regarding the international perception of the issue of
Artsakh. And since they know that this election is important, I am
not saying crucial, to the future of Artsakh, because it proves how
faithful Artsakh is to the principle of self-determination, I felt
reassured and returned from Artsakh," Paruir Hairikyan says.

He says his impression is that nothing extraordinary is expected
to happen because the two main candidates, according to Hairikyan,
acknowledge that the application of the principle of self-determination
starts with the honoring of the principle of self-determination by
the people of Artsakh.

ARMEN AGHAYAN CLASSES FACT OF KEEPING SEFILIAN AND MALKHASIAN UNDER ARREST FOR MONTHS AS "CRIME"

Noyan Tapan
Jul 16 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The organization of a public trial in
parallel with that of Vardan Malkhasian, a member of "Hzor Hayrenik"
("Powerful Fatherland"), and Jirayr Sefilian, the coordinator of the
non-governmental initiative "In defence of liberated territories" can
bring a solution to a number of issues. According to the information
provided to Noyan Tapan by Armen Aghayan, the political secretary of
the non-governmental initiative "In defence of liberated territories",
it is useless to speak about legal solutions after the applied
punishment.

"These boys have been under arrest for already seven months, the
trial will, probably, last for another month. After that whatever
punishment they determine, these months have already served as a
factual punishment for them," Armen Aghayan said.

According to him, the National Security Service and other similar
institutions "kept innocent people under arrest for months and created
lies, made up volumes during that period."

"All these facts are crimes, which should be revealed. There is a
prehistory, that is to say, the steps of state services concerning
instigations and preparatory activities taken against Jirayr Sefilian,
"Unity of Armenian Volunteers", and other organizations, which
should also be examined, and all this is to happen in the political
field. That is why public hearings, as well as public trial are the
best way of solving these issues," the political secretary of the
non-governmental initiative "In defence of liberated territories" said.

6TH SHIFT OF ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS TO LEAVE FOR IRAQ

armradio.am
16.07.2007 11:10

On July 18 the official seeing off ceremony of the 6th shift
of Armenian peacekeepers to Iraq will take place in the Capital
Regiment. The group goes to replace the 5th shift of the peacekeepers
that left for Iraq on February 2nd to carry out mission in the
framework of post-war reconstruction process, Defense Minister’s
Press Secretary, Colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan informs.

AMENTEL TO LOSE ALL TYPES OF MONOPOLY ON OCT 1, 2007

ARKA
Jul 13 2007

YEREVAN, July 13. /ARKA/. The ArmenTel telecommunication company will
be deprived of all the types of monopoly on October 1, 2007.

Chairman of the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission Robert
Nazaryan reported that the demonopolization will result in
liberalization of the market, which requires new balanced prices.

In his turn, ArmenTel Director General Oleg Bliznyuk reported that
the final date for depriving ArmenTel of its monopoly has not actually
been set.

"Whether we will be deprived of our monopoly on October 1 or on
November 1 – this is only the Commission’s wish, as no official
statement has actually been made," he said.

Bliznyuk pointed out that the company is ready to renounce all types of
monopoly, "but de jure, as de facto the company will remain monopolist
on the market."

In his earlier interviews, Bliznyuk pointed out that ArmenTel will
renounce the telecommunication monopoly before the end of 2007,
though the term of the company’s monopoly expires only in 2009."

"After renouncing its monopoly right, ArmenTel is ready for normal
healthy competition," he said.

By the end of 2006, ArmenTel had had 608,500 stationary communication
users and 452,000 mobile communication users.

SUPPORT FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IN U.S. CONGRESS IS GROWING

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.07.2007 13:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ H. Res. 106, which reaffirms the Armenian Genocide
in the Ottoman Empire and calls upon the U.S. President to use the
word ‘genocide’ in his annual April 24 message, now has reached
to 219, Congressman from California Adam Schiff has announced, the
Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) reports. "With the threshold of
218 cosponsors having been reached, it is clear that a majority of
the House supports recognition of the historical fact of the Genocide.

Affirmation and re-affirmation of the Armenian Genocide remains a
compelling human rights issue, and I hope that our majority support
will prompt early passage of the resolution. Only by remembering and
learning from the past, can we hope to prevent future atrocities,"
Schiff underlined.

Passage of the legislation would reaffirm the U.S. historical record,
which includes thousands of pages documenting the premeditated
extermination of the Armenian people. American intervention prevented
the full realization of Ottoman Turkey’s genocidal plan, while the
first major U.S. humanitarian assistance effort provided much needed
relief to those who survived. "The Armenian Genocide resolution has
reached a record level of bipartisan support, proving that despite
the intense lobbying efforts by those who seek to deny the truth,
the momentum continues to grow for reaffirmation of the historical
truth," Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian stated.

H. Res. 106, which was introduced on January 30, 2007 by Adam Schiff,
reaffirms the Armenian Genocide and calls upon the President to
accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of
1 500 000 Armenians as genocide in the President’s April 24 annual
message.